ARTIST STATEMENT

This 2 year project plays with the current, overused idiom 'like', a seemingly benign word that has come to serve several purposes. It has become a buffer providing a pause before committing to a particular feeling. It mitigates the adjective about to be used. And finally, it acts as a reticence to state something with clarity.

The adjective in each piece of SO I WAS LIKE... is portrayed, both in font and background, in such a way as to illuminate the emotion and state of mind involved. Having used text liberally throughout the years, this work continues the trajectory as it relates to language and image, and now highlights my own feelings both past and present.

My usual studio practice uses sgraffito and mixed media on 4-ply museum board, which allows me to have maximum textural and color effect. Sgraffito involves laying down base coats of wax and oil crayon, layered with iridescent oil pastels, then using various tools to scratch through the layers and also digging into the paper board to peel up certain areas.